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Go-Mer-Tonic

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13-Sep-2006
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28-Mar-2007
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Post
#246322
Topic
Lucasfilm to sell Physical Effects Unit
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246322/action/topic#246322
Time
Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
They used more models in any one of the prequel films than they used in the entire classic trilogy combined, and they will still be the top choice for ILM, so in that regards not a whole lot will change really.
Is that true?! About how many models they used in the prequels? Absolutley. I'm not sure how closely all of you have looked into it, but half the time I see people complaining about CG in these movies, they are talking about digital composites done with practical models. There was only 1 fiery explosion in The Phantom Menace that was rendered by a computer (the shot of the explosion chasing the droids through the hall when the control ship is blowing up) every other explosion and fire effect in that movie (not counting the pod race crashes) was done by either blowing up a real model, or by digitally compositing real photographic elements of fire onto shots of practical model elements.

As far as the model unit being ILM's top pick for practical elements, it says so in the article.Originally posted by: auraloffalwaffle
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
Yet it all looked absolutely real.
I think it looked like it was: a bunch of actors in costumes in front of a green wall.

If what you're saying is true, then Luca$h used models, costumes and sets, just like in the OOT, with the added ingredient of CG effects, that he didn't have when making the OOT, and spent just as long over each film as he did with the OOT.

Yet it all looked absolutely...

fake!!
Again I thought it looked real enough. I didn't see any greenscreen in the movies I saw. They had painted it all out in the final shots.
Post
#246305
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246305/action/topic#246305
Time
You have to keep in mind that the prequels are not crap I am choosing to enjoy to me. I am speaking in terms you guys are familliar with. To many of you the prequels are pure crap.

I was saying quality is subjective, and I could get into a million reasons why I personally think the Saga as a whole blows either trilogy out of the water on their own, but that would really be getting off topic here.

Zombie was giving me the whole "ignorance is bliss" line, which is where my comment came from.

Really I think the lack of ignorance being discussed here is assumed wisdom. I think sometimes you guys are so sure of how you think it should be, that I don't think you really give much thought to how Lucas actually did it. Instead of trying to figure out the method to his madness, you guys jump all over yourselves to declare Lucas a worthless film maker.

Going into the SE's and Prequels, I just let the man tell his story, and that's how I noticed the high level of art behind all the glitzy effects.

I don't think a lot of you want to see that art, I think for many of you, it's about not being able to accept change.

Here is a quote from Lucas I saved from a while back about how Anakin turns to the dark side:

Lucas: The message is you can't possess things. You can't hold on to them. You have to accept change. You have to accept the fact that things transition. And so, as you try to hold on to things or you become afraid of -- that you're going to lose things, then you begin to crave the power to control those things. And then, you start to become greedy and then you turn into a bad person.
Post
#246301
Topic
Lucasfilm to sell Physical Effects Unit
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246301/action/topic#246301
Time
I don't see anything wrong with the CG in the prequels. Most of the stuff they pulled off was in daytime lighting, which is much harder to do than quick glimpses of a dark T-Rex on a dark rainy night.

Yet it all looked absolutely real.

So may people act like Lucas would use CG first and consider other options later, but Lucas was all about doing it practically if he could help it. Take the Niemodians for example. They even made a costume for Jar-Jar with the idea that they could get some practical shots out of the deal. And the CG artists had to prove to George they could pull Yoda off before he would let them.

I think Lucas is the first person to tell you that doing it practically is ideal. But then again you just can't pull something off like Sebulba with a rod puppet.
Post
#246106
Topic
Lucasfilm to sell Physical Effects Unit
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246106/action/topic#246106
Time
I think Lucas is just getting the companies to be able to work on their own so he can go off into the pasture so to speak.

They used more models in any one of the prequel films than they used in the entire classic trilogy combined, and they will still be the top choice for ILM, so in that regards not a whole lot will change really.

So many act like CG is so easy to spot, but a lot of the times I see them pointing to these miniatures and models and real photographic elements.

I like how the original article made it out like LOTR used mostly models and Lucas uses mostly CG. As far as I can tell they are both running about neck and neck with their huge summer blockbusters in regards to their use of both models and CG.
Post
#246097
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246097/action/topic#246097
Time
The truth is that Star Wars will be what it turns out to be.

Perfection is what you shoot for, good enough is what you always get in the end.

At the end of the day Star Wars will be what Star Wars will be.

You can either enjoy it for what it is, or lament it for what it's not.

I choose the former.

If I'm ignorantly enjoying it more than I should, then that's sort of like cheating life out of sucking as much as it could have.
Post
#246046
Topic
Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246046/action/topic#246046
Time
Roger Ebert gave TPM a glowing review, and as time goes on, more and more people are warming up to TPM.

You have to agree some of the vitrol TPM faced -was- due to some seriously unmeetable expectations (understandable given SW's legacy up until that point). But as the emotional responses give way to more reasoned analasis, more people are giving TPM it's fair due.

For my part, what makes any one of these 6 films great makes them all great.

To me, this is all one big 12-14 hour film, and I think Lucas has accomplished far more than most other film makers will ever hope to do in their own lifetimes.

They aren't perfect, but way better than most in my opinion.
Post
#246039
Topic
First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246039/action/topic#246039
Time
Originally posted by: Scruffy
The SE was not created from a 1993 video master of the trilogy. It was created from a restored negative that was begun, IIRC, in 1995. Most Lucas apologists claim this negative no longer exists and no duplicates of it were made (though why such carelessness is considered meat for apologism is beyond be). You can say the 1993 master "represents" the later restored negative, but that's kind of stretching things. It represents the narrative starting point for the SE, but not the filmic starting point (except insofar as both the SE negative and the 1993 video come from the same original source).
The way I understand it, Lucas permanantly altrered the original negative in creating the SE version, which is why he no longer can use that negative to produce a brand new O-OT print.

Post
#246029
Topic
Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246029/action/topic#246029
Time
I remember people cheering when the characters appeared in TPM on opening night.

I remember people cheering when Yoda showed up with the clones in AOTC.

I remember people cheering when Anakin cut off DooKu's head (a little morbid, but they were excited).

This whole 99% of people don't like the new ones is a tad on the delusional side if you ask me.

At the end of the day, -enough- people liked them, that the people who didn't really weren't an issue.
Post
#246027
Topic
"BUT ANAMORPHIC ENHANCEMENT ALTERS THE MOVIES!!!"
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246027/action/topic#246027
Time
I don't think that's really neccessary. So what if this guy is just spouting a bunch of crap?

And so what if most of us don't believe you Raul?

Come next year the proof will come out. Until then we have you saying you know what you are talking about, and the rest of us saying: "Really? That sounds too good to be true".

This particular subject has run it's course.
Post
#245990
Topic
"BUT ANAMORPHIC ENHANCEMENT ALTERS THE MOVIES!!!"
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245990/action/topic#245990
Time
Originally posted by: Mike O
Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
I honestly though this September 12th release would be enough to keep everyone from complaining.

But I was wrong about that too.

Someone somewhere would complain about Beru's voice being different than that "magical opening night" they remembered.

Bet on it.


Lucasfilm could try including both versions of Beru's voice. That might help. In any case, anamorphic transfers are not asking a lot. If these discs had been good anamorphic transfers, then there would have, of course, still been legitimate complaints, such as the multiple audio tracks, but it would have at least met industry standards. That's right, Star Wars fans will always have criticisms. But you know what? Lucas decided to create the SEs and the PT. That's fine. But these are the consequence of attempting to bury the originals. He's brought this on himself.
The only one really effected in any detrimental way by the people who always complain about Star Wars are the complainers themselves.

Lucas could possibly put a couple audio tracks on there, but there there would be other things to compalin about that I haven't even conceived yet. It's like playing whack a mole, and a not very fun game of whack a mole at that.

It's no skin off his back if he can't please everyone on the planet. As long as he pleases more than his fair share, he's golden.